


Big Bang

by southsidewrites



Series: A Lesson in Chemistry [3]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fight Scene, Love Triangle, Outtake, Sweet Pea POV, Sweet Pea and Reggie have terrible tempers, especially when there's girls involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 16:42:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17605052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: A one-shot about who really started the fight between Sweet Pea and Reggie during Part Eight of An Equal and Opposite Reaction.





	Big Bang

_Don’t think about her._

Missed.  Sweet Pea ran for the rebound, wiping his face.

_She’ll talk to you when she’s ready._

Missed again.  He snagged the ball, jumping for another shot.

_When the fuck will she be ready?_

Sweet Pea cursed as another shot missed.  It was a damn good thing the season was over, or else he’d have to deal with the coach screaming at him to get his head in the game.  He couldn’t get his head in the game, though, not after that weekend.

A weekend.  It had only been one goddamn weekend, and she’s somehow managed to turn his whole damn life inside-out.  His chest ached as he made another basket.

“Hey, Sweet Pea!”

He turned, recognizing the voice immediately. “What the fuck do you want, Mantle?” His fists clenched—she had been at his house, and while he believed her that nothing happened, he still couldn’t stand to look at the bastard.

“What do _I_ want?  What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Sweet Pea whipped the basketball aside, crossing the court to face him in just a few long strides. “Okay, Mantle, I’ll bite.  What did I do this time?”

Reggie pulled himself up to his full height, meeting Sweet Pea’s furious gaze with his own. “Y/N—this weekend?  I had to pick her up in some sketchy-ass alley on the Southside.”

“Oh, and that just had to be my fault.”

“I can’t see who else’s fucking fault it might be,” he spat. “ _You’re_ the one who got her into shit like that.”

“Shit like what?”

“Shit like slumming it on the Southside.”

Sweet Pea’s vision went red.  Fucking Reggie Mantle forcing himself into everyone else’s goddamn business. “You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about,” Sweet Pea’s voice was low, dangerous.

“Don’t I?  You fucking did something to her, and now she’s going off the rails.  She never should have gotten involved with you in the first place.”

Sweet Pea barked out a laugh. “Really?  That’s what you’re going with?  Sounds like you’re just a sore loser, Mantle.”

“Loser?” Reggie scoffed. “From what I hear, you got your ass dumped, too.”

“You shut your fucking mouth,” Sweet Pea warned. “One more fucking word, and I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Reggie taunted, holding up his hands in a shrug. “Hit me and prove once again to Y/N just how shit of a person you are?”

With a roar, Sweet Pea let loose, punching him in the nose with a sickening crack. “Say it again, fucker.  Tell me how shit of a person I am.”

Reggie stumbled and then regained his footing. “You bastard!” He caught Sweet Pea by surprise, his right hook slamming into his face before he even had a chance to dodge.

All hell broke loose as the two went at it, their bodies becoming a tangle of fists as they crashed onto the gym floor.  They were both shouting.  Curse words echoed through the gym and into the hall.

Within seconds, the coach came running out of his office, shouting at them to stop.  When it was clear they weren’t going to, he ran for help.  Both boys managed to land a few more punches before teachers were on them, ripping them apart.

“Fuck,” Reggie grunted, grabbing his bloody nose. “You fucking snake.”

“You go fuck yourself,” Sweet Pea spat back, dark bruises already forming all over his face. “I didn’t even break up with her, you dumbass—she dumped me.”

Reggie’s eyes widened, but before he could get a word out, the teacher started yanking him out of the gym.

“That’s enough!” he snapped. “Save it for Principal Weatherbee.”

* * *

 

As soon as Sweet Pea walked into the office, his head snapped up.  

Y/N. 

Y/N was there, and she was holding an ice pack to her hand.

“Sweet Pea?  Reggie?”

He flew to her side, sitting down as a concerned look came over his face. “What are you doing here?”

Smiling slightly, she held up her hand. “I may or may not have punched Cheryl Blossom.”

His eyes widened, and then he laughed.  She smirked as they both looked at Cheryl holding her bloody nose. _That’s my girl._ “Didn’t think you had it in you, princess.”

She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mat—wait—what happened with you guys?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but then Weatherbee was there, shouting at them about how they had already ruined his Monday or some bullshit.  The girls were sent to the guidance counselors, and he and Reggie were shuffled into Weatherbee’s office.

As soon as he sat down, Sweet Pea bit his lip, forcing himself to listen instead of immediately fighting back.

Weatherbee was giving them a hard look, a look he was all too familiar with. “So, tell me, gentlemen, what exactly happened here?  I don’t want to hear why or what excuses you have—I just need to know who started it.”

Reggie spoke before Sweet Pea even had a chance. “It was me, sir.  I picked the fight.”

Weatherbee turned his stony gaze on Sweet Pea. “Is that true?”

He couldn’t believe it—the dickwad was admitting it. “It is, sir,” he said hurriedly.

“And did you throw the first punch, Mr. Mantle?”

Sweet Pea slumped—it never _really_ mattered who started it, just who hit first.

“I did, Mr. Weatherbee.”

Sweet Pea jerked upright, his eyes wide with shock.  Reggie Mantle was lying for him.  For a moment, he was sure he was dreaming, maybe he’d been hit too hard and was going into some kind of hallucination.

Weatherbee’s eyes met his. “Is that true, Sweet Pea?”

Sweet Pea gaped, took a deep breath, and managed to answer. “That’s true, sir.”

“And you reacted in turn?”

Reggie nodded. “I did.”

Weatherbee sighed, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well then, gentlemen, since this is not the first offense for either of you, you’re both going to be suspended starting tomorrow.  Today, just to kick things off, you’re going to collect all your schoolwork for the next few days, as you will be responsible for every bit of it.  You’re also going to serve a detention tonight—perhaps you can use that time to consider if any of this nonsense was worth it.  Understood?”

“Yes sir,” Reggie said.

“Yes sir,” Sweet Pea agreed, his head still spinning.  He looked over at Reggie, and Reggie smirked.  Sweet Pea scoffed.  Then, rolling his eyes, he returned the smirk.

Yeah, she was worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to let me know if there's any other scenes, outtakes, or drabbles you'd like to see from this story. I won't write another multi-part fic, but I'd be happy to do some one-shots here and there.


End file.
